Suction nozzle for vacuum cleaners



Nov. 21,1933. F. RlE BE L; JR 1,936,367

SUCTION NOZZLE FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Original Filed Sept. 9.: 1929 A TTORNEYS Patented Nov. 21, 1933 SUCTION NOZZLE FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Frederick Riebel, Jr., Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Air-Way Electric Appliance Corporation, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Original application September 9, 1929, Serial No. 391,123. Divided and this application July 18, 1931. Serial No. 551,713

2 Claims.

. particularly to the floor tools of such cleaners.

The present application is a divisional one of my copending application Serial No. 391,123 filed September 9, 1929.

An object of this invention is to provide agitators for suction nozzles having an improvement in the design of the air passage groove formed on the face thereof; and a further object of this invention is to provide a type of construction for such agitators which will provide a wearing surface of improved durability. Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds. To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certainmechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing:

Fig. 1 is a combination elevation and sectional view of a suction nozzle embodying the principles of my invention; Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially on a plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the suction nozzle agitators; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken through the agitator element.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, the suction nozzle 1 is provided with an opening 2 which is normally connected to the suction chamber of a vacuum cleaner (not shown). In marginal slots positioned in the lateral openings of the suction nozzle 1 are resiliently mounted rollers 5 which may be adjusted as to their resilient position upon the floor by means of the movement of the cams 7. The wheel-carrying resilient tangs 3 and 4 are retained in lateral position by means of the retaining screws 6.

The agitator elements 10 are secured to the lower surface of the suction nozzle 1 by means of longitudinal slots 11 adjacent the suction slot 12 and the retaining screws 13 extend downwardly and inwardly of the retaining slot 11, border said suction slot 12 on either side, and present wearing as well as thread-disturbing and agitating surface to the suction nozzle 1. The agitator elements 10 are usually made of a fibrous material and heretofore have been bent to conform to the shape shown in Fig. 4. Being so bent, the

grain of such fibrousmaterial would lie in a plane substantially parallel to the wearing surface of such agitator elements. With the grain in this position, agitator elements of this type were usually subject to excessive wear necessitating their frequent replacement. These agitator elements 10 may be formed by cutting substantially rectangular blanks from a flat sheet and machining or otherwise forming them to the shape shown in Fig. 4. With the grain resting at an angle to the surfacethe amount of wear of such agitator elements 10 is considerably reduced due to the exceptional wearing properties of such fibrous material when the grain thereof runs at an angle to the wearing surface.

As shown in Fig. 3 and more especially in Fig. 4, the floor-contacting surfaces of such agitators is formed with a plurality of triangular shaped members 14, saidmembers 14 being separated from each other by a plurality of grooves 15 associated at their inner ends with the suction slot 12 and opening at their outer ends to provide a suction area over the surface to be cleaned. The improvement herein contemplated is to form such grooves 15 with an increased crosssectional area proportional to the distance away from said suction slot 12. This increased cross-sectional area is accomplished preferably by tapering the bottom 16 of the slots 15 substantially as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The purpose of this improved design is to more equally distribute the suction of the nozzle within said grooves 15, thereby materially increasing the efficiency of such suction nozzles.

The grooves 15 terminate so as to leave a comparatively short uncut surface 17 of said agitator elements 10 adjacent the ends of the suction slot 12, so as to materially increase the suction effect across the open end 18 of the suction nozzle, and also to strengthen the agitator elements 10 adjacent the end-securing screws 13 and prevent such agitator elementfrom splitting during installation or subsequent use.

.It will thus be seen that my invention affords a construction of the agitator elements which more 100 efficiently accomplish the purpose for which they are intended.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out'and distinctly no claim as my invention:

1. For attachment to a suction cleaner nozzle having a downwardly opening socket forming the lower extremity of a longitudinal wall, a lip agi tator substantially L-shaped in cross section, including a vertical flange to be received in said socket and a horizontal flange the upper face of which forms an angle of substantially 90 with the adjacent face of said vertical flange, said horizontal flange being formed with grooves ex tending from side to side thereof, opening downwardly, and substantially completely bridged over by the upper region of said horizontal flange, said grooves defining downwardly projecting agitating projections bridged together for substantially their full width.

2. For attachment to a suction cleaner nozzle having a downwardly opening socket forming the lower extremity of a longitudinal wall, a lip agitator substantially L-shaped in cross section, including a vertical flange to be received in said socket and a horizontal flange the upper face of which forms an angle of substantially 90 with the adjacent face of said vertical flange, and is at least as wide as the lower edge of the inner wall of said socket, said horizontal flange being formed with grooves extending from side to side thereof, opening downwardly, and substantially completely bridged over by the upper region of said horizontal flange, said grooves defining agitating projections bridged together for substantially their full width.

FREDERICK RIEBEL, JR. 

